ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Talks held with representatives of Farmers’ Unions in a cordial and frank atmosphere at Vigyan Bhawan , New Delhi
Dialogue with Farmers to continue on 5th December- Shri Narendra Singh Tomar
Representatives of forty Farmers’ Unions who were invited by Union Agriculture Minister for talks participated in a dialogue today at Vigyan Bhawan with Agriculture Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar , Minister of Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Railways and Commerce Shri Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Shri Som Prakash. Senior officials from the Agriculture Ministry and the Ministry of Food Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution also participated in the dialogue. This was the fourth round of talks which was held in a cordial and frank atmosphere. The Unions have agreed to further participate in the next meeting on 5th December.
At the outset of the talks Union Agriculture Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to the welfare of the farmers. He requested the representatives of the Unions to present their point of view and the flag the issues which they felt were contentious. The representatives of the farmers unions raised the question of the constitutional validity of the three laws. The Government side explained the constitutional provisions under which the Central Government legislated these laws. The farmers brought out issues related to the APMCs – They said that there has to be a level playing field between APMCs and Private Markets and Trade Yards. They also said that there is a need for proper registration of Trade outside APMCs. The issue of protecting the land of farmers in the Contract Farming Act was also raised.The farmers unions also requested that the MSP system should be made legal. Regarding dispute resolution system in the new Farms Acts the unions said that there is a need for an alternate dispute resolution system. The need for registration of contract farming was also flagged.
The Secretary Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Sanjay Agarwal gave a detailed description of the Farms Acts and the measures taken by the Ministry of Agriculture for the welfare of farmers and those measures taken to benefit agriculture during the lockdown period to keep the supply chains active. He said that the Farm Acts have been framed keeping in mind the farmers welfare.
Agriculture Minister Shri Tomar assured the Unions that the Minimum support price will remain and therefore the farmers should not fear that it will go away. He thanked the Farmers organisations for flagging their concerns and assured them that the dialogue will continue.
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APS
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Ministry of Defence
ANNUAL HYDROGRAPHIC CONFERENCE – INTERACTION WITH VETERANS
NATIONAL HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE, DEHRADUN
Every year, the Annual Hydrographic Conference is held at National Hydrographic Office, Dehradun. During the Conference, operational tasking undertaken and challenges faced, survey tasks envisaged for the next season, personnel and training, aspects of technological advancements etc are discussed along with deliberations on the latest hydrographic standards, practice and policies.
On the eve of the Conference, an interaction with Veteran Survey sailors was organised this year. A total of 56 Veterans attended the function along with Commanding Officers of IN ships and Officers-in-charge of Units. The function was hosted by Vice Admiral Adhir Arora, Chief Hydrographer to the Govt of India.
Vice Admiral BR Rao , the erstwhile Chief Hydrographer, was the Chief Guest for this event. During the interaction, the magazine 'Coordinates version 2.0 – Directory of Veterans of Indian Naval Hydrographic Department' was also released which is a comprehensive compendium of Veteran Officers and Sailors of the Hydro cadre.
VM/PS 78/22
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Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Nano Urea can enhance farmer’s crop yields and save nitrogen to the extent of 50%, shows trials
National Fertilizers Limited  and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd  sign a MoU with IFFCO for the technology transfer for production of Nano Urea
The Nano-fertilizer holds great promise for application in plant nourishment because of the size-dependent qualities, high surface-volume ratio, and unique properties. Nano-fertilizers releases plant nutrients in a controlled manner contributing to higher nutrient use efficiency.
Experimental trials of Nano Nitrogen  undertaken during Rabi/Zaid 2019-20 through National Agriculture Research System  at 7 ICAR research institute/state agricultural Universities on different crops like Paddy, Wheat, Mustard, Maize, Tomato, Cabbage, Cucumber, Capsicum, Onion etc. were found agronomically suitable indicating that nano nitrogen  can enhance farmer’s crop yields beside nitrogen saving to the extent of 50%.
National Fertilizers Limited  and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd  PSUs of DoF signed a Memorandum of Understanding  with Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative Ltd.  for the technology transfer for production of Nano Urea.
IFFCO has sought permission from the Department of Fertilizers for export of Nano Urea  manufactured from its Nano Fertilizer Plant facility set up at Kalol, Gujarat.
This information was given by the Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Education
EdCIL pays a dividend of Rs 16 Crore for the year 2021-2022
EdCIL  Limited, a Mini Ratna Category-I CPSE of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, paid a dividend of Rs 16 Crore for the year 2021-22.
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education, Government of India, received the cheque from Shri Manoj Kumar, CMD EdCIL, in the presence of Shri K. Sanjay Murthy, Secretary , MoE, Sh. Rakesh Ranjan, AS  and other senior officials of MoE and EdCIL on 17th October, 2022.
The Company during FY 21-22 registered highest ever turnover of Rs. 428 crores which is 29% higher than the previous year turnover. The PBT  was also recorded the highest Rs. 71 crores.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Research and Development  in Agriculture Sector
Government of India supports R&D efforts towards developing and promoting remunerative farming systems in the country. Indian Council of Agricultural Research  under All India Coordinated Research Project on Integrated Farming Systems  has developed 63 farming systems with the participation of farmers in 18 States.
The IFS models developed by Agricultural Research System offer scope for better and sustainable use of natural resources including soil and water, higher profit and employment besides contributing towards household food and nutritional security. Complementary technologies such as bio-intensive cropping systems, multi-storied cropping and land configuration-based farming systems with location specific components help to make small land holdings more viable. Most of the IFS models have the demonstrated potential of increasing the farmers income by 2-3 times or more and have been included in State Plans by Government of Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir and Tamil Nadu for up-scaling. Thirty-one bankable projects suitable for 22 states have also been prepared by ICAR for supporting through medium and short-term credit for scaling up through schemes of States and Central Government.
The steps taken during the last 3 years are as follows.
- Eighteen IFS models, 14 bankable projects on IFS and organic farming packages for 22 cropping systems were developed during last 3 years. Prototypes of different region-specific IFS models have been established at several Agricultural Universities and ICAR institutes for training and capacity building of extension agencies besides demonstrating business model to attract rural youth.
- ICAR has developed 765 field crop varieties of which 578 varieties are climate resilient, 98 drought/moisture stress tolerant; 41 short duration varieties and 47 biofortified varieties suitable for development of alternative and remunerative cropping system during last 3 years.
- Through the countrywide network of 722 Krishi Vigyan Kendras , 43.39 lakh farmers were trained on new technologies including resource conservation technologies. KVKs also executed 7.02 lakh frontline demonstrations on various crops, livestock, fish and other enterprises and organized 27.94 lakh extension activities for the benefit of 470.83 lakh farmers during the period.
The public spending on agricultural research and education of agricultural gross value added  in the country for the years 2015-16 to 2017-18 was about 0.62% at current prices.
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Year
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2015-16
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2016-17
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2017-18
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Amount 
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13,891.1
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15,061.7
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17,359.7
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R&D spending as % of GVA
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0.62
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0.60
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0.62
This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Civil Aviation
Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia writes to Goa CM for strengthening aviation Infrastructure in state
Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, has written to the Chief Minister of Goa Dr. Pramod Sawant, requesting his personal intervention in expediting the matters for strengthening of aviation infrastructure in the state. AAI has embarked upon development and expansion of airports in the country at a cost of Rs. 20,000 Crore in the next 4-5 years in order to meet the growing passenger demand in the country.
Shri Scindia has drawn attention of Dr. Pramod Sawant on various issues that are impacting the implementation of various projects pertaining to aviation sector in Goa. He mentioned that long back AAI had requested for 20.48 acres of land for construction of city side car parking and other infrastructural work at Goa Airport. Cost of acquisition was also paid by AAI to the State Government of Goa. However, notification for acquisition was issued by the State Government in respect of 15.50 acres only, out of which 9.23 acres is yet to be handed over to AAI.
RKJ/M
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Ministry of Railways
Initiatives in Public Private Partnerships to boost Railway Infrastructure
It is estimated that Indian Railways would need Capital investment of around ₹ 50 lakh crore upto 2030 for network expansion and capacity augmentation, rolling stock induction and other modernization works to enable better delivery of passenger and freight services and to improve its modal share in transport. To bridge the gap in capital funding and to induct modern technologies and improve efficiencies, it is being planned to use Public Private Partnership  model for few initiatives. One of the PPP initiatives is to invite private players to invest and induct modern rakes over select routes to provide world class services to the passengers. As part of this initiative, Ministry of Railways have issued 12 Requests for Qualification  on 1st July, 2020 for operation of passenger trains over approximately 109 origin-destination pairs  through PPP on Design, Build, Finance and Operate  basis. The routes are spread across the entire Indian Railway network and the list is available in the public domain namely, http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/IndicativeRoutesfor12clusters.pdf. However, the responsibility of train operations and safety certification rests with Indian Railways in all such cases.
As of now, no regular passenger train service, running over Indian Railways, is being operated by Private Operator.
This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
We need to give Sports a Structured Format: Shri Kiren Rijiju
Indian Oil Corporation comes forward to sponsor Khelo India University Games
Launches Theme Song of Khelo India University Games 2020
The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Kiren Rijiju has said that Sports must be given a structured format to make India as a mega sporting country. He was addressing the gathering after launching the Theme Song of Khelo India University Games 2020, here today.
Shri Kien Rijiju said that all the nations in the world which have gone on to become sporting powerhouses have invested heavily in their University structure. He further said that it is the first time that such a professionally organized championship is happening at the university level. I would like to thank Indian Oil Corporation who has come on board as the primary sponsor partner for the Khelo India University Games 2020, he added.
The massive success of the first 3 editions of Khelo India Youth Games , has paved the way for the Government of India to launch the first season of the Khelo India University Games . KIYG, the first of its kind National level University Games, received a shot in the arm in its inaugural season with PSU giant coming on board to sponsor the sporting revolution. For the first season of the KIUG, Indian Oil has committed to put its weight behind the Games as the lead sponsor with GAIL and ONGC also supporting.
The Executive Director, Corporate Communications Branding, Indian Oil Corporation, Shri Subodh Dakhwale, prominent shooters Ms. Manu Bhaker, Shri Anish Bhanwala and Shri Sandeep Rajput were present at the Anthem Launch ceremony
The KIUG with an aim to promote sports and fitness will continue the process of trying to uncover and nurture the next generation of sporting talent in the country. The KIUG 2020 will cater to 17 sporting disciplines namely Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Fencing, Football, Hockey, Judo, Kabaddi, Rugby, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Weightlifting and Wrestling. The multi-sport event is to take place over the span of nine days and will have 3399 athletes from 159 universities participating.
The Khelo India University Games 2020 will commence from 22nd February – March 1, 2020.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles the passing away of former Governor, Shri OP Kohli
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the passing away of former Governor, Shri OP Kohli.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"Saddened by the passing away of Shri OP Kohli Ji. He played a key role in strengthening our Party in Delhi. As MP and Governor, he focused on issues of public welfare. He was also passionate about the education sector. My thoughts are with his family. Om Shanti."
Ministry of Defence
MoD signs Rs 667 crore contract for six Dornier-228 aircraft from HAL to further bolster operational capability of Indian Air Force
Ministry of Defence, on March 10, 2023, signed a contract for procurement of six Dornier-228 aircraft for the Indian Air Force  from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited  at a cost of Rs 667 crore. The aircraft was used by IAF for Route Transport Role and communication duties. Subsequently, it has also been used for training of transport pilots of the IAF. The present lot of six aircraft will be procured with an upgraded fuel-efficient engine coupled with a five bladed composite propeller.
The aircraft is ideally suited for short haul operations from semi-prepared/short runways of the North East and island chains of India. The addition of the six aircraft will further bolster the operational capability of the IAF in the remote areas.
Ministry of Communications
Telecom Department allots license and spectrum to Vodafone Idea Limited and Reliance Jio Infocomm for 5G testing in Gujarat
Department of Telecommunications on 27.05.2021, for 5G testing in Gujarat, allotted license and spectrum to :
- Vodafone Idea Limited in Gandhinagar , Mansa  and Unava,  with Nokia as equipment supplier.
- Reliance Jio Infocomm in Jamnagar  with Samsung as equipment supplier.
On 11.11.2021, the steering committee of Gujarat LSA, DoT for 5G, comprising of Shri Sumit Mishra Director, Shri Vikas Dadhich Director and Shri Suryash Gautam Assistant Divisional Engineer, visited the testing sites at Gandhinagar, with the technical team of Vodafone Idea Limited and Nokia.
The team checked the data speed at the Mahatma Mandir 5G site of Gandhinagar, which was found to be about 1.5 Gbps - almost 100 times faster than 4G. The speed test was done on non-standalone 5G mode.
Following four use cases were also tested by the Gujarat LSA, DoT team on site :-
- 360 degrees virtual reality content playback – user connects on 5G to the content providing server and experiences the location in virtual reality, as if he/she is physically there.
- Virtual reality connected classroom - Facilitates a teacher to reach students remotely through 360° live streaming via 5G network. Student gets a feeling of private lesson, where he/she can interact with the teacher via voice chat or exercises.
- 5G immersive gaming - Gamers movements are captured online and sent to gaming platform via 5G network wherein it is merged to a pre-recorded gaming video.
- Artificial intelligence assisted 360 degrees camera - Real time video stream from 360-degree cameras is uploaded via 5G network; the end users get real 360 experience and with added artificial intelligence, he/ she can also detect the things like people, bags, bottles, laptop etc.
The use cases were testing using standalone 5G mode.
Ministry of Railways
Indian Railways relaxes Refund Rules for PRS counter generated ticket
Move to avoid over crowding at Railway Stations in view of COVID 19 and practice social distancing
All rules for e-ticket remain same as passenger does not need to come to Station for refund of ticket
This relaxation is for journey period from 21st March - 21st June 202
In order to further facilitate rail passengers in availing facility of refund of tickets along with ensuring avoidance of crowded places and practice social distancing, Indian Railways has relaxed Refund Rules for PRS counter generated tickets as a special case.
All rules for e-ticket remain same as passenger does not need to come to Station for refund of ticket.
This relaxation is for 3 months journey period i.e from 21st March - 21st June 2020. Relaxation in the Refund Rules for PRS counter generated tickets are as follows:
For trains cancelled by Railways for journey period 21 March - 21 June 2020, refund across counter can be taken on submission of ticket upto 3  months from date of journey. 
When train is NOT cancelled but Passenger does not want to perform journey.
• TDR  can be filed within 3 months from date of journey at the station. 
• TDR can be submitted to CCO / CCM , Refund / Claims office for getting the refund with 60 days of filing of TDR subject to verification from Train chart. 
• For passengers who want cancel ticket through 139 can get refund across the counter within 3 months from date of journey. 
PASSENGERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED TO AVAIL THE FACILITY AND AVOID COMING TO RAILWAY STATIONS IN ORDER TO CHECK THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.
Indian Railways has advised passengers to avoid non essential travel and sudden crowding of trains or the refund counters which will only raise possibility of spread of the Corona virus.
Ministry of Finance
India to move towards harnessing its space capability commercially, New Space India Limited  incorporated towards this end
Company to spearhead commercialization of various space products
New Space India Limited  has been incorporated as a new commercial arm of Department of Space. This was stated by the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget 2019-20 in Parliament today.
The Finance Minister said that India has emerged as a major space power with the technology and ability to launch satellites and other space products at globally low cost. Time has come to harness this ability commercially. A Public Sector Enterprise viz. New Space India Limited  has been incorporated as a new commercial arm of Department of Space to tap the benefits of the Research & Development carried out by ISRO.
The Company will spearhead commercialization of various space products including production of launch vehicles, transfer of technologies and marketing of space products, the Minister added.
Ministry of Development of North-East Region
DoNER Minister Dr Jitendra Singh speaks on 'Act East' policy in the context of India-Myanmar
The Union Minister of State  of the Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region , MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy & Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has said that India's "Act East" policy is crucial to the entire South East Asia.
Speaking at a conference on "India-Myanmar Trade and Connectivity" organized by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations here today, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Myanmar is one of the key pillars of India's "Act East" policy, since through the land borders it connects India via the North Eastern States with the South East Asian countries. A significant fact to note is that many North Eastern States share a common border with Myanmar, he said.
Emphasizing that to "Act East" effectively beyond the eastern borders, it is essential to first act east effectively proximal to the borders by promoting the potential of the region on this side of the border, Dr Jitendra Singh said, for example, Myanmar is not only geographically a proximate country with strong historical and economic linkages, but, in addition, the people on two sides of the border share common lifestyle, common food habits and common cultural traits. Therefore, he said, any meaningful trade or business engagement with Myanmar can be done primarily through the products and goods inherent to the North Eastern States bordering this country.
In the last four years under the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Dr Jitendra Singh referred to a paradigm shift in the Government's approach towards the Northeast, particularly with regard to its development. The "Act East" policy also includes the endeavour to open new avenues of job generation and entrepreneurship which would also make the Northeast the focus of India's economic and diplomatic engagement across the eastern borders, he said.
Referring to the constraints of connectivity and transport as important impediments to the growth of trade and investment in the region, Dr Jitendra Singh said, in the last four years, a fast-track progress has been made to address these issues. He said, new airports have come up, rail tracks have been set-up in the States which had never seen a train before and new Inland Waterways are also being developed.
As an evidence of the Central Government's high priority to the region, Dr Jitendra Singh referred to the recently framed exclusive Northeast Industrial Development Policy, the amendment to the Indian Forest Act of 1927 and setting up of an exclusive NITI Aayog Forum for North-East. With respect to Myanmar, he also referred to an MoU finalized recently between the Mandalay Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the business groups from North Eastern India.
Prime Minister's Office
PM greets the nation on New Year
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has extended his New Year greetings to the nation.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"Happy 2022!
May this year bring abundance of joy and good health in everyone’s lives.
May we keep scaling new heights of progress and prosperity, and work even harder to fulfil the dreams of our great freedom fighters."